string puzzle

Admittedly, it has been awhile since I sat at the treadle to make string blocks. But, when I did, I found a small pile of shirt string blocks that I don't remember. Did I just decide to make them for the parts department or were they intentional. There were paper foundations cut to a specific size and stacked in sets of 10. and there were at least 50. That means they were intentional but for what?  I just don't remember. I have looked through my pinterest boards and my in process lists, and I can't seem to figure it out yet. Until I do, I am still stringing along with them as I can. It may take awhile. This getting old thing is for the birds.

I love my treadle for string piecing. Some were partially done.

Some were untrimmed

some were trimmed and depapered.

I am linking to:

needle and thread Thursdays

Humble quilts
confession of a fabric addict

bargain basement

Oh my! We have -17 degrees in Indiana today with a strong wind. I don't think we are going anywhere. Good day for quilting, and hot chocolate.

The last time I blogged about Bargain basement, I had gotten this far. I still had not decided on borders. I blogged about it here in June of 2017. I had added borders eventually, but I don't have a record of that.
 One morning last week, I was waking and wondering what to do for a project that day. And, even though I have a gazillion in process projects, I thought of this quilt waiting to be quilted, and was excited enough to put it on the longarm. I think I was just tired of all the other projects and needed an almost quick finish.

I am just free motion quilting all over big swirls in red thread. It is all shirts and from the Bonnie Hunter book scraps and shirttails. I liked the pattern. Basically, if you have any 3.5 inch squares from other projects, they can combine with the 3.5 rectangles. And it makes it interesting. There were pinwheels and 4 patches and hourglasses, oh my.

I am linking to:

WOW

midweek makers

Bee Social
Silly Mama WIP

Oh Scrap

new template

I have challenged myself to use my templates this year, and decide which ones are worth keeping and which ones I won't. Last year, I ended the year using the scrap crazy 6 template. I hadn't even opened the set.
I enjoyed the different variations that I tried - Oriental pinwheel, scrappy twirl, and scrappy twinkle.

Then, in January, I tried the scrap crazy original template. I had taken a class 5 or so years ago, and had made a very cute child's quilt using the template, but, then, it sat unused. I used it to cut another quilt, made the mistake cutting that gave me mirror image pieces. The plan was to make 2 smaller quilts. ummm... not enough. on to plan c. I am working on bordering the quilt with the mistake blocks. I have the inner border attached.

I am thinking that for February and however longer, I am going to experiment with the pineapple template and trash to treasure.

I have one block pieced that I made when I bought the template years ago.

I also have an unopened, very dusty, pineapple template from creative grids. Which will I like better?

If you want to dust off an old template, and join me this year, I can do a linky thingy and we can inspire each other. I haven't ever done a link up, but I am sure I could learn.

Free Motion by the River

to do tuesday

too cute tuesday

chameleon color linky

Oh scrap

One monthly goal success

It's time to report on my one monthly goal at elm street quilts. I really appreciate this motivational goal setting opportunity. I know I have finished more projects than I would have otherwise. I tend to be a procrastinator. And, I must think I will live forever.

At the beginning of the month, I made some goals.

1.I want to make my 30 blocks for January as my One monthly goal. 
2.My Ufo challenge with Patchwork times is orca bay mystery quilt. I need to get it quilted for January.
3.My finish it project is to get the fishy quilt quilted and bound.
4.My flannel project ( 2019 is the year of flannel for me ) is a rag strip quilt. I want to do a baby size.
5.I have decided to work with the scrap crazy template for January. I have a start on some of the blocks.

I met my goal and started on another round of swap blocks for our version of circa 1880 quilt.They are a bit addicting, because they are so cute.

Orca bay is finished I just can't get a decent picture with the bitter cold temperatures. I need to remember to take it with me when I go to the library. This is my 12th finished quiltville mystery.

I put the finishing touches on my fish jar quilt for my soon to be Grandson arriving in March. I had purchased jar blocks several years ago and this is how I designed the finish. This was a finish for the 2019 finish along. My list is here.

I have  dug in the flannel and started to put kits together. I need to prewash all the pieces for a quilt so that I can grab a kit and sew. Slow progress, but, progress.

I am linking to:

Monday Making

Moving it Forward Monday 

main Crush Monday 

design wall monday   

boms away 

Oh scrap

one monthly goal

PAtchwork times

stash report January 27, 2019

Today would be my Father's 99th birthday. I celebrated by sending all my children a package of lifesaver butter rum candy.  I wish they had known him longer. Dad really liked them, and so did I. I still can see him giving one to me as a little girl with a big smile on his face. He's been gone for 30 years, and I still miss him. My birthday is tomorrow and we always celebrated together. And Mom was great at making a big deal of it.

I have another thrift store find. I found the pieces separately, but, when I took the picture, I thought they went together pretty well.

Stash report

Fabric Used this Week 0 yard

Fabric Used year to Date: 0 yards

Fabric Added this Week: 5 yards

Fabric Added Year to Date: 37 yards
net fabric: 37 yards bought more than used

Now that the Cleveland rug is finished, I need to start a new rug hooking project. I looked at what I had, and I looked online, and I wasn't inspired by anything, yet. The weather and the holidays have kept me from my rug hooking guild for a little while, and I have to have a hooking project to get back into the groove. I miss the ladies. I remembered an abandoned project in a bag somewhere. I was just making circles with jar lids, and using leftover strips of wool to make whatever came to mind as I was hooking. I pulled it out to work on again. Now that it is out, I am a little addicted, so, that will be my handwork today on a wintery day. I will hook something for Dad today.

I sewed more than 15 minutes every day - still working on good fortune

I am linking to:

Slow Sunday Stitching

Oh scrap

sunday stash at quiltpaintcreate

15 min to stitch at life in pieces

seeing red

I sorted through my red scrap drawer and used up any smaller pieces. The bigger pieces I sorted by whether they would look good with a white background or a cream background. So far, most of the rainbow quilts I am making use a white background. I may have to challenge myself to make a cream based quilt rainbow style. Oh, I just thought of something - squirrel

I made checkerboards in red for Cynthia Brunz's design woven checkerboard. She blogs at Quilting is more fun than housework. This is the second quilt of hers I am doing for the rainbow scrap challenge. I am also doing wiggle time.

I have another project that will need 4 patches.

And I am hoping to make at the end of the rainbow, so, the red crumb blocks are made and cut for that one.

I am really grateful for the rainbow scrap challenge. Besides some really fun quilts I get to make, I have one (and only one ) neat and tidy scrap drawer.

I am linking:

 SewCan She

rsc19 super saturday
oh scrap

letters and words

I have been having fun making letters again. I think they are really easy. I am using the Lori Holt spelling bee book. I have really enjoyed how well it is put together, and the instructions are great.
I especially like that I can cut a few strips in common sizes and then use off of them with each letter. So, most of the sizes are common among the letters. I don't feel like I am digging around for something else, or left with unuseable scraps.

My biggest problem is I am angle challenged. And I think the pictures are a big help for someone like me.

These pieces are a bit tricky, since I need more than one direction of corner.

I am making a quote quilt and I am doing it rainbow scrap challenge style. So, all the letters I need for red in January are done.

I am looking at the pictures and feeling like I want to play the "make as many words as you can" game. I was always pretty good at that game at a shower.
How about you? haha

I am linking to:

TGIFF

Finished or Not Fridays   

Whoop Whoop

cleveland finish

My Cleveland rug is finished. I used yarn to whip the edges that I dyed myself. This was a free pattern from the 2017 Atha (association of traditional rug hooking artists) biennial in Cleveland. My husband and I attended and had a great time. This year, the biennial is in Denver, and I am interested in attending. It is sad how easy it is to talk yourself out of anything fun. This was a finish for the 2019 finish along. My list is here.

A friend at Friday group was working on the binding for her Minecraft quilt. This is for her son who loves minecraft. She is a professional longarmer. and made her own designs of the tools used in the game.

I am linking to:

needle and thread Thursdays

snowflake

I have most of the Christmas snowflake assembled. I ordered a red stripe fabric for a border. I don't know, yet, if I will like it. I showed the quilt to the guild, and I will teach a Saturday workshop March 30th. I think they will like doing it if they give themselves a chance to try it.
I did mine in Christmas fabrics, but it would like great in any color combination.

How I started this quilt is here and here and here. and here and here.

I am linking to:

WOW

midweek makers

Bee Social
Silly Mama WIP

Oh Scrap

crazy template

I have all the blocks cut for the scrappy twirl quilt I am making using scrap crazy 6 template.
Here is where I started. It seemed to take forever to cut them and I was glad when I was finished, except now I keep seeing other floral scraps, and think it would look good in the quilt. I need to make this one before I start another one. As far as I can tell, it will have to be pieced in rows. I have several quilts in the process, I don't know, yet, if I will even attempt to put this together.

I have another bucket of flannel to sort. I like the bright fruit loops piece and hope to find enough to make something fun. Flannel is the most discarded fabric at goodwill. So I have bits and pieces. I hope to find enough that go together to make donation quilts. Last year, I worked on Christmas fabric all year long, this year I am going through the flannel.

I am linking to:

Free Motion by the River

to do tuesday

too cute tuesday

chameleon color linky

Oh scrap

good fortune- missing

I am still working on good fortune mystery quilt. I sewed these blocks with a 9 patch project as a companion. It took longer but, made it seem shorter. The only problem is, I am short one whole block. I think I have enough to make another one, but where did that pesky block go?

These are still part of an autumn quilt from My Carolina home.

We are still in a winter wonderland in Indiana, but it is 7 below - very cold

I am linking to:

Monday Making

Moving it Forward Monday 

main Crush Monday   

show and tell monday

design wall monday   

boms away 

Oh scrap

stash report January 20, 2019

We've had another long snow, and the sun is shining again. Our temperatures are dipping close to zero. It's very pretty, until I have to get to church. Good thing we don't live very far. I would still love to go sledding, but, I would have to leave my body behind or it would break. I wonder if I could hire a professional sledding assistant to get me up and down on the sled. I'm pretty sure I would get frost bite just rolling over and getting to my knees and getting to my feet. haha Maybe they need a senior day at the sledding hill.

I bought another daily special at Missouri star, and I wanted a little more variety for my civil war swap. I was also interested in white with black prints for a quilt I am making. I was really thrilled when the box arrived.

Stash report

Fabric Used this Week 0 yard

Fabric Used year to Date: 0 yards

Fabric Added this Week: 10 yards

Fabric Added Year to Date: 32 yards
net fabric: 32 yards bought more than used

I have a binding to sit and stitch today. Black thread on black fabric is not my favorite combination for stitching, especially as my eyes get older, but I still love the process.

I sewed more than 15 minutes every day - still working on good fortune

I am linking to:

Slow Sunday Stitching

Oh scrap

sunday stash at quiltpaintcreate

15 min to stitch at life in pieces

crayon rsc

Another quilt I want to make for the rainbow scrap challenge is the Emily Herrick Crayon quilt. It is great to start with a basic color of red.
I could cut these pieces from a 2 1/2 in strips which I still need to reduce.

I sewed them together in pairs and then 4s etc.

As a leader and ender I am sewing together the triangle pieces for pinwheel fancy

And a crayon was born.

I am linking:

 SewCan She

rsc19 super saturday
oh scrap

use the flannel

One of my goals for the month, is to crack out the flannel, and make some decisions on how I want to use it and whether, I could reduce the stash.

Today was the day. I have Friday group, and I wanted to take a pile of leftover and short pieces of flannel, and figure what I could do with it. I already had cut several strips from the end of a project and some squares.  I began by sewing the squares together into 4 patches.

I had enough cut and enough variety to make a selection of scrappy pinks for a strip quilt.

and a boy quilt

I still have a lot left to cut, but, I have a better idea what I have to use.

I am linking to:

TGIFF

Finished or Not Fridays   

Whoop Whoop